1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to payload delivery systems used with aircraft, and more particularly to payload delivery system which comprises an inflatable shroud or "ballute", guidance equipment, direction modification equipment, and a payload detachment system so that the ballute can release a payload, depart the delivery location and later be retrieved and reused, allowed to "float" away, or merely self-destroyed.
2. Description of Related Art
Current day conflicts typically tend to be covert. The element of surprise is paramount. One way to accomplish a covert action is to deliver manpower, armament, and supplies into enemy territory without alerting the enemy that he is being invaded.
Various devices have been used throughout modern history to achieve soft landings when delivering such necessary payloads, including parachutes attached directly to the cargo, piloted and unpiloted cargo containers outfitted with wings or lighter than air attachments.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,166,597 to Seifert et al. discloses an inflatable space vehicle which includes an outer skin that is inflated when the vehicle is launched from a "mother" ship so that a protective shroud is formed. U.S. Pat. No. 4,832,288 to Kendall et al. discloses a recovery system for space vehicles, booster, equipment, and other payloads, in which an inflatable paracanopy is used to protect the payloads. The present invention does not contemplate an inflatable protective shroud for a deliverable payload. Rather, the present invention discloses a detachable and expendable delivery device or vehicle whose function is to guidably deliver a payload and then detach for immediate translocation from the delivery location/area or be self-destructed.
Typically, control surfaces and guidance mechanisms are incorporated into delivery systems used for depositing a payload at a predetermined location. The control surfaces and guidance mechanisms assist in maneuvering the payload through air space between its discharge, for example from a "mother" airship or ground location, to its reaching the designated target location.
The principal problem encountered in systems of this sort is that the delivery systems transport the payload at a rapid descent, and therefore seldom provide an opportunity for delivery system recovery, or controlled descent. Against this background of known technology, the inventors have developed a recoverable payload delivery system which includes an inflatable shroud for enabling or facilitating a payload to slowly descent from a high altitude launch, as from a mother aircraft, to a target location, as well as automatic removal of the delivery system from the delivery location or site.
The ballute or inflatable shroud is typically packaged in line with the payload and inflates immediately following launch of the delivery system. The ballute employs control surfaces and guidance apparatus for precision delivery of the heavier-than-air system to a targeted location. When the ballute reaches its target location, a release mechanism is actuated to separate the ballute from the payload, rendering the delivery system lighter than air. The ballute then rises or "floats" away from the target location, or merely self-destructs at a distance and high altitude.